Hal Jordan's Motivation
Was Hal Jordan a bad person? Of course not.
He suffered from a common affliction among many young people: impulsiveness, narcissism, and arrogance.
Carol Ferris was his dream girl, whom he had secretly loved since childhood. But his goddess was taken, her heart and mind stolen by a scumbag. Hal, not even counting as a spare tire, naturally couldn't stand by.
The frustrating thing was that the scumbag was too formidable, a legendary mob boss. Hal, fresh out of the military, had no way to compete with a man like that. He could only draw circles in the corner and curse the bastard, wishing him to pee on his shoes, spill soup on himself, tear the toilet paper when wiping, fart and soil his pants, and so on.
It was this mentality that led to Hal Jordan's display of arrogance when he first obtained the Green Lantern Ring.
Like a fictional underdog who suddenly turns their life around, or a poor boy who gets a windfall and marries a rich beauty, the ring gave him overwhelming self-confidence. He felt capable of defeating his love rival and, incidentally, saving the citizens of Coast City who were being oppressed by the gang.
That led to the subsequent chain of events.
Many things in the world come with a price. The Young Master Gang was no charity organization. If you crash their party, they go after your life. Losing three fingers and being covered in cuts was already considered getting off lightly.
Seeking Luke Shaw
When Tom learned his friend was going to see Luke Shaw, he immediately tried to stop him. When that failed, he reluctantly braced himself and went along.
They arrived at the company, but Luke had already left. After some inquiries, they got his address and quickly drove to the mansion in Coast City's North Suburbs.
The North Suburb Manor, also known as Billionaires' Row, was the most famous concentration of wealth in the world. Only big stars or rich business owners lived there.
The two drove slowly, blinded by the various beautiful women on the streets. It took them a long time to finally find Luke's residence.
There were several men in black standing outside the villa. One of them was Deo Clay. Seeing him, Hal instinctively shuddered, and the dozens of knife wounds on his body faintly ached.
Deo also noticed the two unexpected figures. He stepped forward and said gravely,
"Hal Jordan! Who let you come here?"
Hal hissed, "I need to see Luke Shaw."
"The boss is busy. He doesn't have time for you."
Hal gritted his teeth and insisted, "I'm here because of Hector Hammond. I have a way to deal with him. You're all citizens of Coast City, too. Are you willing to watch that demon swallow our city?"
Deo fell silent in thought. Tony Wu, standing nearby, spat on the ground and said disdainfully,
"Kid, the last time the boss let you off was a huge favor. Don't push your luck. Get lost now."
With that, he waved his hand, and two subordinates stepped forward to grab Hal.
"I must see him! I have something very important to say! I have to see him!"
Hal shouted toward the villa, "I know Hector's origins! He will devour everything, he will destroy the Earth! Come out, we need to talk!"
"Luke Shaw, let me in!"
Tony sneered, about to kick the verbose man out, when the main door opened and Wang Hu stepped out.
"The boss said let him in."
Tony reluctantly pulled back his right foot, muttering to himself that the guy had the luck of a dog.
Deo walked up to Hal, checked his body to ensure he wasn't carrying anything dangerous, and then walked with him into the villa.
Walking through the hallway lined with famous paintings, they saw Luke relaxing on the sofa, watching the news. He was as calm and composed as ever, as if he knew everything that was happening.
Looking at Luke and then at himself, Hal felt a surge of unprovoked sorrow and anger.
"Luke Shaw!"
Luke nodded slightly and said, "What do you need?"
Hal took a deep breath, suppressing the negative emotions, and said with a serious expression,
"I have important information about Hector. I can only discuss it with you privately."
Luke took a sip of his coffee. "Deo is not an outsider."
The implication was clear: Talk now, or leave.
Hal gritted his teeth and glared angrily at Deo, who curled his lips into an extremely mocking smile.
Hal had no choice. He conceded,
"Hector's power isn't a metahuman ability; it's a Yellow Will from outer space, part of the Emotional Spectrum, one of seven emotional powers..."
Luke raised a hand. "If you're trying to tell me about Parallax or the Yellow Impurity, don't bother. I already know all of that."
Hal was shocked. "How could that be? How do you know?"
This information came from the Green Lantern Ring; it was knowledge transmitted to him by the ring. By all accounts, he should be the only person on Earth who knew Hector's origins. Unless...
Thinking of something, his lips trembled violently. His expression was crestfallen and confused, like a little girl abandoned by her mother.
Luke asked, "Is there anything else?"
Hal lowered his head. After a long moment, he asked in a hoarse voice,
"How are you planning to deal with him?"
"That's none of your business."
"I... I... I... I..." Hal was speechless. His face gradually flushed. He gathered all his courage and said, "I can help you, as long as... as long as..."
"As long as I give you the ring, right?"
Luke shook his head with a laugh. Was this guy's head stuck in a door? To think he could get the Green Lantern Ring back with a few words. Did he think he was Zhuge Liang or Socrates?
The conversation was over.
Luke waved his hand. Deo immediately grabbed Hal's collar and, without giving him a chance to speak, tossed him out of the villa.
The gate closed, leaving two men with complex expressions outside.
Tom sighed. "I knew it wouldn't work. Luke Shaw would never give the ring back to you."
Hal said palely, "I just want the ring back to save this city. I didn't mean to oppose him."
Tom remained silent, his gaze sweeping over his friend's right hand.
Only two fingers remained of the original five. That meant he would never fly again in his life. Being a pilot was Hal's biggest dream. With his dream gone and his body crippled, how could such hatred be easily eliminated?
The Young Master Gang's Dilemma
After seeing Hal off, Deo returned to the living room.
"Boss, how should we handle the dry corpse case? Many people have called, asking for our protection, hoping we can eliminate Hector and restore peace to the city."
Luke asked curiously, "Who called?"
"Over four hundred calls in total. Familiar neighbors, celebrities, and wealthy people who have partnerships with the gang. They're clearly terrified. Some even want to seek temporary refuge at the headquarters. Besides them, there were calls from Chief Hugo, friends in the police department, friends in the government, and friends in the FBI."
Deo clearly emphasized the last part.
Luke smiled. "Do you think we should help?"
Deo nodded. "If we step in now and take down Hector, the Young Master Gang's reputation will rise to a new level. At that point, no one in Coast City, or even the entire Northwest region, would dare to challenge us."
"You are absolutely right."
Luke set down his teacup. "It's just that the timing is wrong."
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